The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona kicked off with a bang, with 76 entries on the clock after Day 1 of the €10,200 Mystery Bounty had concluded. The tournament played the first ten levels, after which 39 players were still seated and will return to Casino Barcelona tomorrow for the second and final day of the tournament.
Topping the charts after the first day was Jules Dickerson, who managed to amass 413,000 chips. The high-stakes regular was the only player to cross the mark of 400,000 chips, which will net him 83 big blinds at the start of Day 2.
However, more competition is set to join the fray as late registration will remain open until the start of play on Day 2, giving players who have not yet arrived in Spain a chance to jump in. All new players will be given a fresh starting stack of 100,000, giving them some catching up to do to overtake Dickerson in the counts.
Also some ways away from the new faces will be Fabiano Kovalski and Jesse Lonis, who completed the Day 1 podium with respective stacks of 329,000 and 320,000. Meanwhile, Spain’s Elias Gutierrez (317,000), Boris Angelov (313,000), and high roller Sam Greenwood (303,000) also found themselves in the top ten at the end of Day 1.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jules Dickerson | United Kingdom | 413,000 | 83 |
| 2 | Fabiano Kovalski | Brazil | 329,000 | 66 |
| 3 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 320,000 | 64 |
| 4 | Elias Gutierrez | Spain | 317,000 | 63 |
| 5 | Boris Angelov | Bulgaria | 313,000 | 63 |
| 6 | Sam Greenwood | Canada | 303,000 | 61 |
| 7 | Cristian David | Romania | 295,000 | 59 |
| 8 | Sven Andersson | Sweden | 274,000 | 55 |
| 9 | Dean Lyall | United Kingdom | 250,000 | 50 |
| 10 | Marcelo Bonanata | Argentina | 230,000 | 46 |
Finding their way to Day 2 with more than a starting stack as well were the likes of Nacho Barbero (213,000), Ren Lin (136,000) Jean-Noel Thorel (129,000), and Hall of Famer Erik Seidel (104,000). Sam Grafton was the only PokerStars Team Pro in the field and found a bag at the end of the day, albeit among the bottom of the counts with 69,000 chips. Also progressing with less than a starting stack were Mike Watson (90,000) and Santhosh Suvarna (77,000).
Meanwhile, players such as David Coleman, Biao Ding, and Paul Newey were less lucky and busted both of their allowed entries on Day 1. Conor Beresford, Joris Ruijs, and Kayhan Mokri fired one unsuccessful bullet on Day 1, keeping their option to reenter at the start of Day 2 instead.
They will have to do so before noon local time when Day 2 is scheduled to get underway. The day will start in Level 11, with blinds at 2,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante, and the mystery bounties will come into play at the start of Level 13. The current cash prize pool of €357,200 is expected to grow significantly, as is the €380,000 which is up for grabs in bounties.
Check back in with PokerNews tomorrow to find out the final numbers of the first five-figure buy-in of the series as the mystery bounty will play until a winner is crowned. In the meantime, check the EPT Barcelona coverage hub to not miss any of the other tournaments currently running.